A look at the NHL standings reveals a major surprise in the Western Conference. The Vancouver Canucks are on top with 71 points and are tied with the Boston Bruins for the top spot in the league at the All-Star break.

It would be one thing if the Canucks had been a playoff team that had won a round or two in last year's postseason, but that is not the case. The Canucks did not win a round in the playoffs and did not even make a playoff appearance.

Nevertheless, last year's failures have nothing to do with this year's team. The Canucks have a boatload of talent that has come together at the right time for head coach Rick Tocchet, and the team has shown the ability to score clutch goals when the game is on the line.

The Canucks have plenty of speed and scoring. They also have four players at the top of the lineup that can take over any game and come through with huge performances

J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser all can lead the team — Grade: A

J.T. Miller is one of those players who can rally the troops in the locker room and then take over the game at any point on the ice.

The former Ranger and Lightning player has competed in big games throughout his career, and has completely acclimated to playing with the Canucks after moving onto Vancouver in 2019-20. He has been on fire for the Canucks this season with a 21 goals and 46 assists for 67 points and a plus-21 rating. One of the keys to his success is his accuracy as a shooter. He is connecting on an impressive 21.0 percent of his shots.

The 25-year-old Pettersson has become a full-fledged star for the Canucks. He is one of the most naturally gifted players on the team and he uses his outstanding speed and quickness along with his 6-2, 178-pound frame to dominate.

Pettersson is chasing Miller for the team's scoring lead, and he has scored 27 goals and 37 assists. Like Miller, he is a sharpshooter, connecting on 19.7 percent of his shots.

Quinn Hughes is one of the most talented defensemen in the NHL, and it is based on his skating speed, balance and know-how. The 24-year-old looks like he should be at a disadvantage because he checks in at 5-10 and 180 pounds, but his confidence and overall skating ability means it's just the opposite of that situation.

Hughes has scored 12 goals and 50 assists, and he has a remarkable +34 rating. Hughes has scored 2 game-winning goals, and he is the trigger man for the team's power play. He has scored 23 of his 62 points on the power play for the Canucks.

Brock Boeser has one of the best shots in the league. Not only does he have a hard snap shot, he can release the puck from a number of angles and fool goaltenders with his puck placement.

The 26-year-old right wing has lit up opposing goalies for 30 goals to this point and he also has 22 assists. After finishing with a minus-20 rating last season, he is plus-20 this season. He is also connecting on an eye-catching 22.4 percent of his shots.

Goaltending has been huge for the Canuck — Grade: A-minus

Any time a team rises from non-playoff status to first place in the league, it's clear that one of the major reasons for the rise is consistent goaltending.

That's just what the Canucks have gotten from both of their goaltenders. Thatcher Demko is clearly the No. 1 goalie and he has a 26-8-6 record. He has a 2.44 goals against average and a .920 save percentage,

Demko and Tocchet are also getting excellent support from backup goalie Casey DeSmith. He has a 7-3-5 record to this point in the season with a 2.65 GAA and a .909 save percentage.

There are no easy nights for opponents going against Demko and DeSmith. Some teams will struggle when they play their No. 2 goalie, but that is not the case when facing the Canucks.

Tocchet is the X-factor — Grade: A

The Canucks were a mess last season prior to Rick Tocchet taking over as the team's head coach. There was plenty of talent on the Vancouver roster, but the team lacked cohesiveness and overall confidence

The Canucks were also something of a soft team. That is no longer the case as Tocchet has made the Canucks focus on the task at hand on an every-night basis.

He is clearly one of the leading contenders for coach of the year honors, and it would probably be a major upset if he does not get that honor.

Overall — Grade: A

The Canucks have far exceeded expectations, and they are clearly one of the best teams in the league. This could be a very memorable year for this much-improved team.